Original Gino's Pizza — Restaurant in Toledo

My family and I had to go to Toledo because my nephew ended up in the ER. After being at the hospital for an extended amount of time the family was hungry so we asked his girlfriend what was a good local pizza spot and she says Gino's. I go order decide to run up to Kroger to get drinks and chips while I wait the 25 minutes for my 2 pizzas. Come back the guy behind the counter says that they lost the order and he was reprinting the ticket and make it right then. So now I have nothing to do except sit in my car waiting for food I should've had already. When I go back in 25 minutes later the guy that said he was reprinting my ticket and making my order proceeds to call a guy named Rob from the back. Rob gives me side eye and he says "yeah that order was given out". I say "well I don't have it", he then days "well Im Just saying we gave that order out already". I again told him I didn't have the food. So then he says I'll make your order myself right now. At the other end of the counter another young lady asks me what kind of pizzas did I have and I told her and she says "Oh they gave me your order". Then I was incensed because 1) I've been waiting almost an hour for food 2) this guy just insinuated with his facial expression that I was lying. I have worked in food and customer service even longer and I don't feel he handled it properly. Food is one of the cheapest things to make they had to toss the pizzas they made for me and gave to the wrong person. He should've just made the pizza instead of confronting the customer to "prove" they were trying to pull a fast one! I got my money back because I didn't want Rob to make me a damn thing! I may or may not have called...

Best pizza in Toledo. I would even venture to say "best pizza in Ohio!". I'm from Columbus and I drive up just to eat there. The sauce is their signature. It is a sweet sauce so if you don't like sweet sauce you probably won't like it. The crust is very thin and crispy on the edges but the perfect amount of dough on the bottom it works perfectly with the ratio of sauce and cheese and toppings. It really is a perfect recipe. I will say though that the last time I went there they failed me. There wasn't enough sauce on my "extra sauce pizzas" and there was too much cheese. And when we called to complain the manager Mike was NOT very accommodating at all! He definitely needed some customer service training (you should never argue, raise your voice or talk over a customer smh) Of course I'll have to let this slide because I've never had a disappointing pizza from there ever, except this one time. I just chalked it up to COVID and not being able to find good workers or managers during this difficult time. Hopefully it won't happen again! I would hate to see this long standing Toledo staple go down the gutter because of a lack of customer service on the part of their managers. Nonetheless, I'll definitely visit again, still my...

After all these years, didn't think it'd come to this but:

Cheese Lovers, Beware!

I recently visited the original Gino's in Toledo - as I do every time I'm able to visit my hometown - expecting the same quality but the returns have been diminishing each visit.

The crust was crispy, and the sauce was tangy, but the lack of cheese threw off the balance. I get it, maybe some folks or businesses are watching their dairy intake or profit incentives,nbut for cheese enthusiasts like me, it was a disappointment.

The Pros:

Crispy Crust: Gino's still nails the crust game! Tangy Sauce: Their sauce remains a highlight

The Cons:

More cheese please! : Skimping on cheese is a deal-breaker

If you're a cheese lover, you might want to request extra cheese (which then you'll pay extra for regular?) or look elsewhere. However on the flip side, those with dietary restrictions might find this a welcome change.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Recommend instead : Amie's Pizza factory, Jo-Jo's original pizzeria, Capers pizza bar.

Bonus recommendation: pizza cat, it's basically across the street!

Sincerely, East Coast transplant, Midwest born...